Fighting Spirit
by EternallyLost
Summary: Shikamaru is forced into a position he doesn't want, in order to keep his life. Crosses over with Yu-Yu-Hakusho, as well as many other anime shows.
1. The Diamond in the Rough

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. Yu Yu Hakusho doesn't belong to me. None of the other series included (and there WILL be more) belong to me, either. I'd tell you who they all DO belong to, but that requires work on my part to look them up. I disclaimed credit at any rate, so my job is done anyways. On a side note, this will be the only chapter to include a disclaimer.  
  
Timeline: This takes place during Chapter 209 of the manga of Naruto. Tayuya and Shikamaru have been fighting, and things diverge from there. Everything afterwards is considered AU. Definitely, it can't fit in the manga after this... As for the other series, for all intents and purposes none of them ever happened. The characters exist, well some of them, but none of the scenarios of the shows.  
  
***  
  
Fighting Spirit  
  
Chapter 01  
  
The Diamond in the Rough  
  
***  
  
Shikamaru stood to the side of the hospital room, watching his best friend Chouji recover from his battle. Most of the serious injuries had been taken care of, by the Hokage herself, but he still needed time to recover his energy. He wondered idly why he was here, Chouji would be fine without him. Besides...  
  
The twelve year old idly blew a strand of hair from in front of his face. After his battle with Tayuya only hours ago, his hair had fallen out of its usual place, tied back on top of his head, and he was too lazy to fix it.  
  
His teammates had all made it out without serious injury. Well, not quite. All four of his teammates, five if you counted the late arriving Rock Lee, were near death. But all of them, with the exception of Kiba, had been victorious in their battles. However, with the proper healing, all of them were fine. No permanent injuries, no death. Shikamaru had done well, in that regard. Even Sasuke was making a full recovery, after the beating Naruto had given him.  
  
As a doctor came in to check on Chouji's progress, Shikamaru slipped out of the room unnoticed. He had already checked up on all of his other allies, all that was left was to check his family, and perhaps his friends. As he thought of that, the young Chuunin snorted. Friends? Besides Chouji, who would that include?  
  
Probably Ino and Asuma, was Shikamaru's silent answer to his own question. He, Chouji, and Ino had all worked under Asuma as Genin Team 10 in the Hidden Leaf. They had been through a lot together. Shikamaru wondered if they had been told the news of the battle.  
  
Making his way out of the hospital, heading into the deep shadows of the Hidden Leaf Village's streets at night, Shikamaru noticed it was raining. Accurately portrayed the mood, though. He snorted. He hated somber moods, too much hassle.  
  
After a few minutes of walking at a leisurely pace, Shikamaru found what he wanted. Ino's home, an average-sized house with a garden in front, was a place Shikamaru rarely visited. Not that he disliked Ino, it was just too far out of his way to visit that often.  
  
Seeing the door already open, Shikamaru entered. He didn't bother knocking; he didn't think it would matter. Noticing a set of ninja boots at the entrance, he noted they were too large for a friend of Ino's. One of the older ninjas, then. It made sense.  
  
Hearing a quiet noise coming from the living room, Shikamaru headed in that direction. Stepping over a potted plant that partially obstructed his path, Shikamaru noted the scene as he entered the large room. Ino was hunched over on the couch, sobbing fiercely as the light of the chandelier above allowed Shikamaru to see the tears on her cheeks. His former instructor and Ino's current instructor, Asuma Sarutobi, sat next to her with an arm around her shoulders, trying his best to comfort the distraught girl.  
  
"So, those shoes were yours." Shikamaru's statement received no response from either of the people. They hadn't even noticed him. That irritated Shikamaru somewhat, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. In any case, his search had been made much easier due to his other query, the elusive Asuma, being there. He must have been the one to break the news, Shikamaru idly noted. It made sense, to send the team captain to tell the news to his students.  
  
Shikamaru walked up to the two of them, standing in front of them both. "Both of you have done a lot for me," he started. Thinking a moment, he really couldn't come up with any more to say. "Well, take care guys." Once again, his words met with no response.  
  
He turned his eyes upwards, as if looking through the smooth white ceiling and hanging chandelier into the heavens. He wished he could just lay back and watch the clouds, like he usually did, but he didn't think he would do that again. "Botan, I'm ready."  
  
As if summoned by his words, a slightly older girl, she appeared about 14 or so, appeared to Shikamaru's right. She had blue hair, somewhat long and tied in a ponytail, and was dressed in a pink kimono, carrying, of all things, a boat oar. "So, you've come to terms with your death?" she asked. She seemed to be a normal girl, and Shikamaru had been incredulous when she had introduced herself as an agent of death, the Grim Reaper.  
  
Shikamaru nodded in response to her question.  
  
Botan leaned closer to the shorter boy. "What about your parents? You haven't seen them, yet."  
  
Shikamaru snorted. "If there's more crying, then it'll just be a waste of time. I have better things to do than watch my parents grieve."  
  
Botan thought of mentioning that, no, he really didn't have anything better do to, because he had already been granted time to say his final words and visit those closest to him. But she held it back, she could see he had other reasons not to go. "Well, then, we'll visit King Yama and decide on your fate." She paused a moment. "Are you sure you're ready?"  
  
Shikamaru nodded again. He was as ready as he'd ever be, he supposed. No use in dragging it out.  
  
God, it sucked being dead.  
  
***  
  
Shikamaru seemed bored as he walked through the din and hustle of oni as they went through the hectic activity of keeping the Spirit World in smooth, working order. After hearing Botan explain that, in the Spirit World, oni were often used for manual labor and menial work, and that the hustle was an everyday activity, Shikamaru quickly grew disinterested of the sight. It might be true that he was seeing something that almost no living human saw, but then again he wasn't a living human any more, either. He knew of the existence of demons, so knowing they ran the Spirit World wasn't all that interesting once you got over the initial shock.  
  
Now, Botan's flying oar, that had been interesting.  
  
Botan guiding the ninja to a door, which left Shikamaru in awe of its size, though he didn't outwardly show any sign of his awe. The thing was well over twenty feet high. Just who was expected to use it?  
  
"This is King Yama's office," Botan explained. "He's reviewed your case and will pass judgement here." As an afterthought, she said, "Be sure to be on your best behavior."  
  
Shikamaru nodded. He didn't want to make a bad impression on the man deciding the fate of his soul.  
  
Botan waved her hands toward the door. Shikamaru half expected the doors to open by magic, but what actually happened was two oni running up to the door and pushing it open. The boy thought it was rather... odd. And not nearly as dignified as he'd think the ruler of the Spirit World would expect.  
  
Botan and Shikamaru entered and saw the desk where King Yama sat. Shikamaru had been prepared for a lot of things, from King Yama being a horrible demon to a noble and regal man, but seeing the ruler as a toddler was something he definitely did NOT expect.  
  
Apparently, neither did Botan.   
  
"Lord Koenma, what are you doing in your father's office?!" Botan yelled, shaking her hands to emphasize her point.  
  
Shikamaru wondered why, considering he was dead, his ears hurt so much.  
  
The toddler, pacifier in mouth, dropped down from the top of King Yama's desk, which was fairly impressive for a baby. Heck, with the size of the desk, it was fairly impressive for any person. "Botan, you should treat me with more respect. I am King Yama's son and heir, you know."  
  
Botan bowed, signifying that she did, indeed, respect Koenma. "Of course, Lord Koenma, but I still need to know why you are here and your father is not."  
  
She calmed down pretty quick, Shikamaru noted.  
  
Koenma nodded in a sage-like manner. "Of course, of course. Well, my father, being who he is, needed to leave in a last minute call from deep within the Spirit Realm. I was only supposed to handle his duties as far as paperwork and leave the decision of spirits to him, as the trip will be brief." He stopped and looked at Shikamaru. "However, after reviewing his file, I decided that Shikamaru is deserving of my attention."  
  
Shikamaru snorted. This Koenma might have been a high ranking official of some sort, but he was still a toddler, and he found it hard to give respect to a baby. "What the heck interests you about me, kid?"  
  
Koenma's eye twitched. "Kid? Who are you calling kid? I happen to be a good deal older than you, and much better looking to boot." He cleared his throat. "But, to answer your question, there are certain things in your file which strike my interest." He held up one hand, a single finger up. "First is the way you died."  
  
Shikamaru glanced over at Botan, who was standing to the side, silent. She must have escorted many ninjas to the afterlife, what made his case special?  
  
As if responding to his unspoken question, Koenma continued. "Your mission was a success. At many points your decisions kept your team alive. In the end, all your team members survived and your mission was accomplished."  
  
Shikamaru snorted. "My teammates survival depending on their own combat skills. I had nothing to do with that."  
  
Koenma nodded at the boy's point. "True enough, but you assembled the teams, you made the tough decisions for them. And in the end, you were willing to sacrifice your life for theirs. Not many people have that dedication, loyalty, and drive needed to make such a decision."  
  
Shikamaru was silent at that. Though he doubted he had drive, the fact that he had willingly given his life in performing that forbidden suicide jutsu, the final attack any ninja could give, was true. Tayuya had him beat, totally and completely. She fell for every single one of his plans, but she was able to power through every single trap and jutsu using pure strength and chakra. His brains had been beaten by her brawn. The jutsu had been the only way to ensure his victory and keep her from joining her comrades in fighting against his teammates.  
  
Koenma continued. "This all speaks volumes about your character. You might have some flaws, but that just makes you the diamond in the rough, Shikamaru." Koenma reached out and pulled a folder from his robes. The folder had the ninja's name, Shikamaru Nara, written on the front in bold letters. "I've read through your file a few times, Shikamaru. You're a good kid, and a strong fighter. You have great abilities in tactical planning, your physical abilities are exceptional, and your skill is ahead of your age." Koenma smiled, barely visible behind the pacifier in his mouth. "And your spiritual powers are beyond exceptional, even if unused."  
  
Botan gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "Lord Koenma!"  
  
Koenma nodded. "Yes, Botan. The reason I'm here to speak to him and decide his fate is because I wish to recruit him as my new spirit detective."  
  
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. It sounded like a job. God, did they expect him to work after he was dead, too? "What are you talking about?"  
  
"It's quite simple," Koenma said as he shifted his attention back to Shikamaru. "In addition to my usual duties, I'm in charge of the Investigation Department. We employ agents of our own and spirit detectives, people who live in the Human World who keep the Human Realm under control."  
  
Shikamaru snorted. "Well, Koenma, in case you haven't noticed, I don't LIVE in the Human Realm any more."  
  
Koenma smiled. "No, not until I bring you back to life."  
  
That caught Shikamaru's attention. "You can bring me back to life?"  
  
Koenma nodded. "As long as your body is in good condition, yes. And if you agree to become a spirit detective." He spoke with complete seriousness. "It's an important decision, but I hope it'll be an obvious one."  
  
Shikamaru thought about this potential boon from all angles. He was getting his life back, true. But it left him in servitude of Koenma, to go about and fight demons or whatever it is spirit detectives did. And he would still be a ninja of the Hidden Leaf, so it was like having double the work. Was it really worth the bother? It's not like he had anybody who cared much about him, after all.  
  
His mind flashed back to early memories of his childhood. Of him, young and carefree, though just as lazy, lying on his back and gazing at the stars. How lying there one day, he had met Chouji.  
  
He and Chouji were friends. There was no denying that. They had absolute faith in each other.   
  
Chouji had been out of it when in the hospital, he didn't even know Shikamaru was dead. But Shikamaru knew how much Chouji would mourn his death. One person did care for him.  
  
Shikamaru began to smile. His parents must miss him something terrible, too. He knew his mother was always a pain in the ass, yelling at him to do more training, to clean up the house, or something else equally meaningless, but she cared for him. His father did, too, even is he did drag Shikamaru out of bed every morning for some early training. Shikamaru always thought that his dad was just as lazy as him, but apparently he took his role as a ninja seriously.  
  
Realizing he did have a few people who cared about him, Shikamaru reached a decision. For those few he cared about, and who cared for him, he'd do this. He might be lazy, and had no motivation at all, but Koenma had been right on one thing, and that was that Shikamaru was loyal and cared about his friends.  
  
For a second, a vision of Ino crying flashed in his mind as well.  
  
"I'll do it," Shikamaru answered. "But I better get hazard pay for anything dangerous."  
  
Koenma smiled. "Don't be silly, Shikamaru. You won't get paid at all."  
  
Shikamaru frowned.  
  
Koenma clapped his hands together. "Well, now that that's settled." He turned to Botan. "Botan, get back to work. I'll take it over from here."  
  
Botan hesitated. "Are you sure, Lord Koenma? Who'll take him back to the Human Realm?"  
  
Koenma waved a hand to dismiss her. "I'll have it taken care of."  
  
The girl hesitated a few more moments, but then left.  
  
"Now," Koenma began, "if you'll follow me to my own office, we'll discuss how to bring you back to life."  
  
***  
  
"So, I have to find somebody willing to kiss me?"  
  
Koenma nodded. The two were currently in Koenma's office, which was a medium-sized room, empty save for a regular-sized desk and a few stacks of papers on it. "Well, it's the only way to get the boost of energy needed. Just a little, to restart your spirit energy moving through your body. A jump-start, if you will." He sucked on his pacifier a bit before continuing. "Though it'll have to wait a few days. I'll need a while to revive the body, and then you'll have to wait for the window of opportunity."  
  
"What window?" Shikamaru asked, regarding the toddler.  
  
"It's quite simple," Koenma explained. "You can only be revived within a twelve hour period. Noon to midnight, in four days."  
  
Shikamaru nodded, taking Koenma's words at face value. "All right, I got it. But what do I do between then and now?"  
  
Koenma looked Shikamaru in the eyes. "You must contact your friends and family, to tell them about your revival, to tell them about the energy transfer, and to tell them not to worry. I'll be sending you with an agent of death, so you don't need to worry about the how at this moment. Besides that, though..." Koenma smiled as if he was conspiring evil things. "You can always check out the girls."  
  
Shikamaru groaned. Jeez, he was supposed to be a baby, right?  
  
The conversation was cut off as a knock rang upon the door to Koenma's office.  
  
Koenma cleared his throat. "In any case, here's the agent of death I was talking about." He spoke louder, addressing the person on the other side of the door. "Come in!"  
  
Shikamaru watched as the person walked in the room, striding with confidence. The ninja had fully expected to see Botan again, but this wasn't the case. The agent of death was a man, for one thing. Well, more of a boy, really. He appeared to be 15, average height, with long brown hair braided down to his butt. Definitely not Botan.  
  
"Hiya," the boy said. "You must be Shikamaru."  
  
Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, I am. That must make you my guide, but I never caught your name."  
  
The boy smirked. "Around here they call me the God of Death, but you can just call me Duo."  
  
Shikamaru could, honestly, see how he had gotten that nickname. Duo was dressed completely in black. Black shirt with preacher collar, black straight-legged pants, black boots, even black gloves on both hands. He looked like a goth, except without pale skin, chains, or piercings. Wait, scratch the last one, he had an earring. It was silver, a small hoop earring, and the only color in Duo's outfit.  
  
"So, we gonna get going?" Duo asked, grinning.  
  
Koenma stopped Duo with a raised hand. "Duo Maxwell, you have charge of Shikamaru for now. He's to be the next spirit detective, make sure this gets done right."  
  
"You can count on me, Captain," Duo said with a mock salute. He turned and left with his charge.  
  
Koenma rubbed his forehead. He could feel a headache coming on. "I should have kept Botan with him..."  
  
***  
  
For the first day back, Shikamaru had tried to keep away from his friends and family. He had plenty of time, and he honestly didn't feel like watching them cry or something like that. So he laid back, watching the clouds from the roof of a building.   
  
He had no idea where he was, except that he was still in the Hidden Leaf Village, but he honestly didn't care where he was. If he didn't recognize this place, it probably meant that nobody he knew would show up there. That's all that mattered.  
  
Duo had left a while ago, claiming to be bored out of his mind. He said he'd wander around town; he had to stay near Shikamaru, but wandering the same town was obviously close enough.  
  
So Shikamaru was alone as he watched the clouds.   
  
When most people watched the clouds, if they even had the patience to do so, would try to identify them with objects. That one's a horse, or a bird, or a shuriken. When Shikamaru watched the clouds, he appreciated them for what they were. The clouds had souls of their own. They flowed through the sky, slipping through the endless blue field like an endless stream down a hill, heading to the ends of the universe.  
  
He was feeling oddly poetic.  
  
Shikamaru blinked as a familiar face appeared in his line of vision. "Duo."  
  
Duo grinned. "Hiya, Shikamaru." He was silent for a moment, obviously waiting for Shikamaru to say something.  
  
"So, what do ya want?" Shikamaru asked, irritated that his relaxation was interrupted. Even dead, he still appreciated a nice relaxing day. He sat up, sending an irritated glare toward the agent of death and his current guide.  
  
Duo sat down, crossing his legs, though he floated in the air, staying even with his standing height. "Well, I went back to your house for some info. Looks like your wake is tomorrow."  
  
Shikamaru snorted. "So? It doesn't matter. I mean, I'll be coming back in a few days anyway." He stretched, yawning. "It isn't important."  
  
Duo shrugged. "Well, think about it, though. I mean, it's your wake. You can really find out a lot about how people feel about you, ya know?"  
  
The ghost nodded, thoughtful. "Yeah, that makes sense."  
  
"And, since you're figuring out how people feel about you, it'll help you choose who to send to give you your energy boost when the time comes."  
  
"Makes sense," the ninja replied.  
  
Duo grinned. "So, you're gonna go, right?"  
  
Shikamaru laid back down on the roof. "Yeah, yeah. I'll go." This all seemed to be so much trouble. But it was something he had to do.  
  
Shikamaru hated being forced to do work.  
  
***  
  
Outside the Nara residence was a large crowd of people, all wearing black. Many people, ninjas that Shikamaru or his parents knew, people from town, friends of the family, were all gathered in one place to mourn the passing of a Chuunin, killed in a rank A mission that he and his companions shouldn't have even been sent on.  
  
Duo fit right in with the crowd of black-wearing mourners. He was with Shikamaru, standing away from the crowd and watching them. "There's a lot of people here," he observed.  
  
Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah. I didn't expect there to be this many."  
  
Duo slugged Shikamaru's shoulder playfully. "Man, you're one popular guy, aren't ya?"  
  
Shikamaru stared flatly at Duo. "I'm going to check my body." He floated slightly off the ground and flew through the crowd, his astral body going straight through the physical bodies of the gathered people.  
  
Duo snickered. "What a weird kid." He followed Shikamaru at a leisurely pace.  
  
As Shikamaru entered his living room, he immediately noticed both of his parents, somber, with all their tears spent, kneeling to the side of the body. His former instructor, Asuma, was kneeling in front of them, giving his condolences. He was dressed, as was expected, in black. Shikamaru was surprised by the fact that he didn't have his customary cigarette.  
  
Shikamaru didn't get close enough to hear what the Jounin said. When he finally got within hearing range, Asuma stood up and walked over to the body and the small shrine, complete with a picture of a napping Shikamaru. Kneeling in front of the shrine, Asuma spoke as if he knew Shikamaru was listening. "Boy," he began, though afterwards he paused, as if unsure of his words. After the moment's pause, he continued. "You had too much ahead of you. Too damn much to be killed like this." He clenched his fist. "Damn it, if I had been here, I could have gone with you! I could have stopped them, everything would have been so much easier." Shikamaru was shocked when he noticed a few tears in his former teacher's eyes. "You shouldn't have been sent on this mission. Your skills have improved so much, you could have made a great Jounin one day. A great ninja. Why did you have to be cut down in your prime? Before you could grow into the great ninja you could become?" After a few moments, the Jounin snorted. "What am I talking about? You have become a great ninja. You led your team, a pack of Genin with no real combat experience, and defeated five ninjas most likely on the Jounin level. You've become a good man, Shikamaru. Why couldn't you live?"  
  
Shikamaru was deep in thought as Asuma stood and left, saying his good-byes to Shikamaru's parents. His place in front of the shrine and body was replaced by Kakashi, the solemn ninja still wearing his mask, though his forehead protector was gone, allowing both eyes to be seen.  
  
Shikamaru ignored him, in favor of following Asuma.  
  
Asuma made his way to the back of the room, where Shikamaru noticed Duo looking over a figure kneeling in the back of the room. Shikamaru immediately recognized Chouji, who had apparently recovered enough to attend the wake. Chouji was hunched over, tears streaming down his face. Shikamaru felt bad; he wished he could tell Chouji then and there about his eventual return.  
  
"Poor kid," Duo said. "He looks like he really misses you, man."  
  
Shikamaru could only nod.  
  
Everybody in the room looked up at the shout of "Shikamaru!" The boy in question saw who had shouted his name; Naruto Uzumaki. The boy was wearing his usual clothes, an orange ninja outfit, instead of black. Tears were falling from his face, a mirror of Chouji's, except with more sniveling. People were still staring as Naruto walked over to Shikamaru's body, collapsing on his knees next to his instructor. "Shikamaru," Naruto said again, though more quietly. "We were supposed to come back together. All of us." He sniffed, then wiped his nose with his sleeve. "Nobody was supposed to die! What's the use in accomplishing the mission if you're dead before you see the results?!" His voice had risen as he ranted, and now he stood, gesturing madly toward Shikamaru's body. "Why did you have to die?"  
  
Kakashi looked at Naruto, though he remained silent.  
  
Asuma, in the back of the room, watched quietly until Naruto was finished, then he turned and left. He couldn't answer the boy's question.  
  
Gai and Rock Lee stood together, both contemplating Naruto's words. They also silently saluted the hero Shikamaru had become.  
  
"Damn," Shikamaru grumbled.  
  
"A lot of people miss you, man," Duo piped up. "They're really worked up about this."  
  
Shikamaru looked at Naruto. "Yeah, I guess so." Not wanting to stay in the room, feeling a bit uncomfortable, Shikamaru walked out, followed by Duo.  
  
The pair came upon the sight of Ino, looking much the same as two days ago, when Shikamaru had died. She was bawling in the arms of her once-time best friend turned rival, Sakura. Sakura gently patted Ino's back, feeling awkward but trying to calm her friend. Ino had been rather calm after her initial fit, but being at Shikamaru's wake had reaffirmed her sorrow.  
  
"He wasn't supposed to die," Ino said between sobs. "He was the smart one. He was the talented one. Why did he die?"  
  
Sakura tried soothing Ino as best as she could.  
  
"I'll never forgive Sasuke for this," Ino continued, crying. "Never, never, never..."  
  
"I feel like a damn spy or something," Shikamaru mumbled. He felt strange, watching everybody as they mourned his passing. He felt like he was intruding on private events, even though they centered around him.  
  
Duo turned his head to look at the dead boy. "Well, if you want, we can leave for now. Then we can tell everybody tonight."  
  
"That would be best."  
  
***  
  
In her home, Hinata Hyuga laid on her bed, staring at the plain ceiling above her. She could dimly hear the sounds of her father and sister training outside as he passed on the arts of the Hyuga fighting style. She had been replaced as the heir to the family in an informal ceremony. Heck, it wasn't even a ceremony. Her father had simply told her the news as if he was telling her it would rain that day, as if the news were of little importance. He expected her to simply nod and go along with it.  
  
She had, too. That's what she hated most.  
  
Maybe he was right in replacing her, if that's the way she acted. She had said, during the Chuunin exams, that she wanted to change herself. But she hadn't changed, she was the same old Hinata.  
  
Briefly Hinata felt a pang of guilt, thinking only of herself. She knew that, at that moment, there was a wake being held for that boy, Shikamaru. He seemed to be a friend of Naruto's, and he was the only Genin to be promoted during the exam. Neji was attending, she knew, though she had decided not to go, as she barely knew him.  
  
As another cry was heard from outside, she wondered how that boy would act in her situation. He'd probably do something about it.  
  
Which showed how little she knew Shikamaru.  
  
***  
  
In the Demon Realm, three figures sat around a small campfire. It was dark, the fire only providing a dim amount of light. The sky was also lit at several points due to lightning, though it didn't rain a drop.  
  
"Look," began one of the figures, "we don't have time to waste here. We need to be moving!" The person's voice gave away her gender.  
  
"Feh," one of the other figures replied. "We can't go barging in asleep on our feet, can we? That's an easy way to get killed. If you wanna get killed though, go right ahead, that'll mean more spoils for us."  
  
The first one was silent at that, though obviously not happy about it.  
  
The third figure, after a moment's silence, spoke. "We had best get to sleep, then. The sooner we sleep, the sooner we wake, and the sooner the loot will be ours."  
  
The three quickly doused the fire and went to sleep. Just a few more days, and they would strike.  
  
***  
  
Shikamaru floated gently above the ground, watching his home below him. The wake had ended an hour or so ago.  
  
"Now would be a good time to begin," Duo said.  
  
Shikamaru nodded, and the two headed into his home.  
  
***  
  
Fighting Spirit  
  
Chapter 01  
  
End  
  
To be continued...  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: Wee, a new fanfic. I just had the idea, and I had to write it down. Besides, after working on my Ranma fanfic for a while, I decided I needed a short break. Amazing how these short breaks turns into days, isn't it? This is what I did during my break. I'm a bit ashamed at its length, it's rather short, but I felt like ending it here.  
  
Besides, I promised myself I'd have it posted by this evening.  
  
As you can see, this crosses over Naruto, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Gundam Wing. For now. There will be more.  
  
Shikamaru has, more or less, taken over Yusuke's place. But this isn't Yusuke's world, it ain't even close, and Shikamaru acts, and even fights, totally different than the Urameshi punk. It'll be interesting to see how different this storyline is, don't ya think?  
  
***  
  
EternallyLost  
  
spiffystudios@hotmail.com  
  
"This is such a hassle..." 


	2. Amongst the Living

Fighting Spirit  
  
Chapter 02  
  
Amongst the Living  
  
-----  
  
In his dreams, Shikato Nara was seeing his son dying. He had no idea what this Tayuya looked like, but the red-skinned horned apparition was good enough for the man's imagined death scenes. Tayuya held his son by the throat, and the creature held back its claws for the final blow...  
  
And Shikato was helpless to stop it.  
  
"Honestly," a voice from Shikato commented. "It was hardly so... tacky."  
  
Shikato whirled around to be confronted with... his son.   
  
Shikamaru stood, hands on his hips, looking at the scene as it played out. "A demon? Honestly, dad, she was hardly a demon." Another pause, and he added, "Unless, of course, you count all women as demons."  
  
Shikato was speechless, he didn't know what to say.  
  
Shikamaru looked his father dead in the eyes. "Look, dad, I know this is going to be hard to believe, but this isn't just a dream. I'm actually here. Well, in spirit, I mean. And-"  
  
Shikamaru was cut off by his father's hug. "Son! You're alive!"  
  
Shikamaru flailed his arms around, trying to escape from the man's affections. Unfortunately, he wasn't skilled enough to break the hold, and was forced to simply go "Daaaad!"  
  
Shikato finally released his son, who took in several deep breaths.  
  
"Look, I'm not alive," Shikamaru explained, looking downward. "At least, not yet." He looked up, his voice firming as he continued. "But that can all..." That's when Shikamaru noticed his father's form was fading, slipping out of the dream. "Damn it!" Shikamaru cried, just as his father woke up.  
  
-----  
  
Shikato sat up, holding a hand to his head. "What a dream," he muttered. "It was almost real." He could have sworn he was actually talking to his son, but it was only a dream. He just wanted his son back so much that his mind was playing tricks on him.  
  
He obviously couldn't see the boy in question beating his head on the wall. It didn't work, as Shikamaru didn't have an actual body, but it was the thought that counted.  
  
"That isn't going to help," Duo observed from his spot near the window. The somberly-dressed agent of death floated with his feet tucked under him, watching Shikamaru futilely try to bludgeon his head in irritation.  
  
"Damn!" Shikamaru cried. "I was so close to relaying the message, but he had to go and wake up!" He let out a frustrated growl. "Now who knows how long it'll be before he goes to sleep again."  
  
As if to prove his son's point, Shikato rose from his bed, restless. He walked over to the door and, after rattling the doorknob a few times, wandered out of the room.  
  
"Well, that's not a problem," Duo said with a grin. "After all, he isn't the only one we can contact."  
  
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Well, who else can we go to?"  
  
"Anybody who cares about you a lot," Duo explained with a grin. "Got any girlfriends?"  
  
Shikamaru ignored the tone of Duo's question. "Nah, too much bother," was the simple explanation he gave.  
  
"Well, then let's go to some other likely suspects."  
  
-----  
  
Shikamaru shuddered violently as he and his guide made their way to Ino's home. "I'm never, ever doing that again."  
  
Duo sniggered. "C'mon, Shikamaru, it was cute."  
  
Shikamaru turned on Duo, anger on his face, causing Duo to blink; since when did Shikamaru get angry? "It was necessary, nothing more." His fist was clenched at his side.  
  
Duo couldn't help snickering. "It was still funny. You kissed him, on the lips."  
  
Shikamaru threw his hands up in the air. "If he comes to my rescue, he'd better not mess up and come too early."  
  
Duo's snickering turned to full blown laughter at that. "Now that would be hilarious!" Duo managed to get out between laughs.  
  
Shikamaru sighed. "How much longer until we're at Ino's?" As he looked up, he noticed that he had actually passed Ino's home, though only by a few houses. "Oh."  
  
"We there?" Duo asked, managing to stop laughing, though a huge grin was still on his face.  
  
"And then some," Shikamaru replied, turning around and waltzing toward Ino's home. Duo followed, and the two stepped into and through the outer wall of the house. The team looked around to see where in the house they were at, and Shikamaru immediately recognized the living room, where he had seen Ino crying the day of his death.  
  
"Nice place," Duo commented. "Looks better on the inside."  
  
Shikamaru was barely paying attention to his guide, but replied anyway, though simply. "I guess." His concentration was more on where Ino's room was; he'd only been there once or twice. After a few moments of drawing a blank, Shikamaru shrugged it off. "Hell with it, let's just check every room."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Duo replied.  
  
Shikamaru led Duo into the hallway, and from there into the first room he saw. It ended up being Ino's parents' room, so they quickly abandoned it and tried the next room. This proved to be the right destination, and the two walked over to the side of Ino's bed.  
  
"Just concentrate to put yourself into her dreams completely," Duo explained again, as if Shikamaru would forget.  
  
Shikamaru ignored Duo's advice, as it was the same advice given to him before both of his previous forays into the world of dreams. Closing his eyes, he placed a hand on Ino's head. "Here we go..."  
  
The ninja immediately recognized the area as a small wooded area that Asuma had used for training Team 10. The trees were thick, but ended abruptly around the edges and a large clearing in the center. It was that center clearing where Shikamaru found himself, along with the form of Ino. Ino was busy practicing some taijutsu with Shikamaru, while Asuma was far off, training Chouji one-on-one.  
  
This is a memory, dredged up in a dream, Shikamaru realized.  
  
"Come on!" Ino protested, launching a quick series of kicks, all of which Shikamaru dodged. "Take me seriously!"  
  
"Too much hassle," the dream Shikamaru replied, his hands in his pockets. "Besides, it's just training."  
  
Ino stopped her assault, breathing a bit heavily. "You know, you'll never get anywhere with that attitude. Keep it up, and you'll be the only one still a Genin after the Chuunin exam."  
  
Shikamaru watched his double shrugged. "Like I care. Being a Chuunin would be too much work, anyway."  
  
Ino snorted. "That's what I mean. You just don't care about anything, do you?"  
  
"I care about what's important," he clarified. "I just don't see being a Chuunin as very important."  
  
"You're good, though," Ino said, though in a quieter voice. "You're great at planning battles, your ninjutsu is strong, and you're even good at taijutsu. You could be a Chuunin so easily, Shikamaru, I can see it. Why can't you?"  
  
"That's not true," the real Shikamaru said, causing Ino to gasp and turn to him. The dream immediately faded, leaving Ino and Shikamaru in a field of colors, shifting from red to blue to purple. "Strategies only take a ninja so far, my only good ninjutsu technique was originally a stalling tactic, and Rock Lee or one of the other ninjas would put my taijutsu to shame."  
  
"But you still made Chuunin." Ino was obviously speaking herself, rather than her memories.  
  
"And see where my battle skills got me?" Shikamaru asked with a snort. "I'm dead."  
  
Ino began to sob. "Shika, why'd you have to die?"  
  
The boy immediately began to sweat. "Er, Ino, stop crying, please?"  
  
"I can't! You're dead!" Ino fell to her knees. "I never realized it, but you were always there when it counted, and now you're gone, and..." She couldn't continue.  
  
Shikamaru waved his hands, trying to get Ino to stop crying. Why were girls so damned hard to please? "Look, Ino, I'm not really going to be dead for long!"  
  
Ino stopped crying, though she still let out a sniffle before looking up toward Shikamaru. "What's that supposed to mean? Not dead for long?"  
  
The dead ninja was glad Ino had finally calmed down. "It's simple, really. I've made a deal with the afterlife, so all I have to do is get my body an energy boost and it'll be running good as new."  
  
"Really?" Ino asked, looking at Shikamaru with hope.  
  
"Yep!" Shikamaru replied, almost cheerfully. "Just wait two days, Ino. Two days, and then you can give me some energy. Ill be up and running in no time!"  
  
"How can I give you my energy, though?" Ino asked, blinking.  
  
"Erm, it's kind of... um... how do I put it?"  
  
Ino looked at Shikamaru, confused. "What is it, Shikamaru?"  
  
Shikamaru gulped before answering. "You see, it's kind of a... lip-to-lip transfer."  
  
There was a moment of silence, before Ino spoke. "So I have to kiss you?"  
  
"Basically," Shikamaru replied.  
  
Ino nodded. "All right, I'll do it. I have to for you to live, right? It's not like it means anything, right?"  
  
"Of course not," Shikamaru hastily replied. "Not a thing."  
  
"I miss you, Shikamaru," Ino said. "You're telling the truth, right? You're coming back in two days?"  
  
"Yeah, just don't go putting this off as just a dream or something, okay?" Shikamaru paused, as if thinking about something. "You can talk to Chouji about this too, ya know. I told him, too. Then you'd know it's not a dream." He just prayed that Chouji wouldn't mention the fact that Shikamaru had been forced to demonstrate in Chouji's dream. The overweight boy hadn't been able to collect his wits in his own dream, so Shikamaru had been forced into more drastic measures.  
  
"I'll remember, I promise."  
  
-----  
  
"We done?" Duo asked, noticing Shikamaru had left the dream. The agent of death looked bored, leaning against the wall of Ino's room.  
  
"I guess so," Shikamaru replied. "Ino seemed to be more in control in her dreams than my dad or Chouji. I think it's because she practices mind jutsus."  
  
"It's possible," the black-clad Duo replied. He had heard of people with exceptional control of their dreams, though he doubted Ino would be close to their skill level. "At any rate, where are we off to now, then?"  
  
Shikamaru didn't have anywhere particular to go, so he shrugged, arbitrarily deciding on a destination. "Home, I guess. I'll check up on my body, then go somewhere else from there."  
  
"Sounds like a plan if ever I heard one," Duo replied with a grin.  
  
Shikamaru nodded. "No use hanging out here any more, so let's go."  
  
The two made their way out of Ino's home and began their trip toward Shikamaru's house. The trip was short, being as they weren't hampered by such things as roads. Soon, the two found themselves entering the living room, where Shikamaru's body was being held. They were also surprised by who else was in the room.  
  
"I can't believe you died like that," Temari commented snidely, looking over Shikamaru's corpse. "Honestly. I thought you had more fight in you than that."  
  
Temari's two siblings stood on both sides of the door, watching as Temari paid her respects to the one she had been sent to rescue. Gaara and Kankuro both appeared bored by being there, but at Temari's request they had come with her.  
  
"What are they doing here?" Shikamaru asked, watching Temari as she stood over his corpse. He had known about Temari, of course, that she was supposed to have been his backup, but she had arrived too late to help him. Likewise, Gaara and Kankuro were backup for Rock Lee and Kiba, though all Kankuro had been able to do was help Kiba escape. All three ninjas had been held up by something, and their tardiness cost Temari and Kankuro their mission.   
  
But why were they at his house?  
  
"You beat me, that day at the Chuunin exams," the girl continued, not noticing the ghost and his helper entering the room. "I recognized your skill, then. I thought you'd do better than what you did, being forced to use that jutsu. Stupid ass, I can't show you what I've learned after you go and kill yourself." She snorted. "I trained just to beat you, you know. I couldn't stand losing to a jerk like you. Now I'll never prove to your damn macho attitude that girls can be better than guys. You irritating ass."  
  
"Is she done insulting me yet?" Shikamaru growled, ignoring Duo's laughter next to him.  
  
Gaara stepped forward. "I think it's time to go, Temari. It grows late."  
  
Temari glanced at her brother. "It's been late," she replied. "But I guess you have a point."  
  
Gaara nodded. Together, the three Sand siblings left.  
  
As they left, Shikamaru looked at Gaara. And Gaara looked back. Shikamaru paused, shocked that Gaara was obviously looking straight at him, and the Sand ninja left the house with his siblings.  
  
When the three were gone, Duo looked over to Shikamaru. "That kid noticed us, you know."  
  
"Yeah," the young ninja replied. That much had been obvious. Gaara of the Sand... he certainly was an interesting guy.  
  
-----  
  
The next morning was when Shikamaru noticed signs of life returning to his body. Some color existed in his cheeks, and his body was breathing, slow and shallow, but breathing nonetheless. It was a good sign.  
  
"Come on," Duo said, in response to Shikamaru's observation, "you've been staring at your body for way too long. People could start saying you're one of those guys. You know, the ones in love with themselves?"  
  
"A narcissist?" Shikamaru inquired.  
  
"I see you've gotten that before," the long-haired man said with a grin.  
  
Shikamaru didn't find that amusing.  
  
"In any case," Duo continued, "we should probably go check up on your friends, or something."  
  
"Like they're doing anything interesting," Shikamaru said. He sighed. It's not like he had anything better to do, though. Except maybe lay back and watch the clouds. That never failed him.  
  
But Duo put his foot down. "No, I'm not wandering around alone again. Besides, it'd be much better if I had a guide, right? That'll keep ya occupied, Shika."  
  
Shikamaru didn't know when Duo had picked up calling him Shika, but he didn't like it. It annoyed him when Ino did it, and having Duo say it was even more irritating. But he didn't say anything about it, instead saying, "All right, if you say so." Arguing would be too much effort, after all.  
  
Shikamaru left his home and took Duo around the village, pointing out interesting sights. At least, interesting to Shikamaru. "This is where I usually lay down to watch the clouds." "That's where I go to eat when my mom cooks something nasty." "That's Chouji's favorite restaurant, over there."  
  
Duo was getting irritated. "Eh, Shikamaru, aren't there any landmarks, or something? You know, tourist attractions?"  
  
"It's a ninja village," Shikamaru said, irritated. "The only people here are ninjas, ninja families, and merchants ambitious enough to provide stuff for ninjas, half of whom are retired ninjas themselves. We don't have much in the ways of tourism."  
  
"Boring," Duo replied, putting his hands in his pockets.  
  
Shikamaru didn't know how you could really call a ninja village boring, but he supposed it would be to a tourist, or somebody like that. "Wait, there is the Hokage monument, that's like a tourist spot."  
  
"The Hokage monument?" Duo inquired.  
  
"The giant faces etched into the cliff," Shikamaru replied. "You must've seen it at some point, almost the entire village has a good view of it." Where they were currently at didn't, but that was besides the point.  
  
"I never really paid attention," Duo admitted.  
  
Shikamaru sighed. "All right, I'll show it to you."  
  
Duo grinned. "Good!"  
  
The two walked off down a street, not really feeling like flying. Besides, Shikamaru reasoned, he'd have to get used to walking again after regaining his body, so no reason to get used to flying everywhere. However, the two ran into something interesting a few blocks into their trip.  
  
"Who's that?" Duo asked, motioning toward a girl walking down the street, downcast.   
  
Shikamaru noticed the black hair, cloak, and white eyes, even from a distance. "Hinata Hyuga. She's the heir to a rather powerful clan here in the Leaf Village."  
  
Duo looked the girl over. "If she's so big and powerful, why does she look so bummed out?"  
  
"Her family and blood inheritance might be powerful, but she's one of the meekest people you'll ever meet." Shikamaru was honest, though he tried to keep from being insulting. "She did grow a bit of a backbone at the Chuunin exam, though."  
  
As the two talked about the girl, she glanced over in their direction, causing the two to pause.   
  
"Can she hear us?" Shikamaru asked. It certainly seemed as if she did. That would make two people who could sense him, including Gaara.  
  
"I don't think so," Duo replied. "But she must have high spiritual awareness. She probably detects ghosts and spirits all the time."  
  
Staring almost directly at Shikamaru and his cohort, Hinata seemed even more nervous than usual. She turned on her heel and walked off, heading at a pace much faster than she would usually use. Shikamaru recognized it as somebody trying to rush while pretending not to.  
  
"Let's follow her," Duo suggested, taking off after the Hyuga girl.  
  
Shikamaru stood in his place for a few seconds, staring at the retreating form of his spiritual guide. "What about the Hokage monument?" Realizing he was being left behind, the boy flew off after Duo and Hinata.   
  
So bothersome, honestly...  
  
-----  
  
"The mortal world. It has been a long time."  
  
A trio stood amidst an open clearing. Forest spread in all directions out of the clearing, but the clearing itself was barren of trees, possessing only grass and wildflowers. The one who had spoken was a towering figure, purple hair and red robes a stark contrast to the green below him.  
  
One of his companions, also clad in red and with long white hair, snorted. "Feh. You sound like you've missed it, old man." The speaker, despite his white hair, did appear younger than the purple-haired man. In fact, he appeared to be in his mid-teens, yet he still possessed naturally white hair. It had to do with his demon heritage, which could be discerned from his strange ears.  
  
The purple-haired man smiled. "Indeed I did. After my banishment, I thought I'd never be here again."  
  
The last of the trio, a young girl with black hair and a seductive dress, smirked. "Foolish human, getting banished to our world. If it weren't for us, you'd be long dead, eh?" She laughed a mirthless, cruel laugh.  
  
The older man frowned. "Stupid girl, I survived in the Demon Realm for far longer than most demons." The tension mounted between the two as they exchanged harsh glares. It appeared the animosity between them had been there for a long time.  
  
"Stop fighting, you idiots!" the white-haired boy reprimanded. "You split up this group, and I swear I'll kill both of you and take the items for myself!"  
  
"You try that," the other man countered. "I have all I wanted, anyway. I care little for your pathetic little group endeavors." He pulled an old tome from his robes, holding it aloft. "With this, my power is unmatched, even with your sword, boy. I'd think carefully about trying to cross me."  
  
"You dumbass!" the boy cried, reaching for the hilt of sword. Before he could pull it free of its scabbard, however, the other man muttered a few words and disappeared, leaving behind nothing but an empty spot for the boy to glare at.  
  
The girl, too, decided to make her leave. "You're a big boy, I'm sure you can do whatever it is you're planning on your own. But I've got my own plans." She clutched a small mirror to her chest as she disappeared, not by magic, but simply by a speedy escape into the forest.  
  
For a long while, the boy simply stood in the middle of the now empty field. After several minutes, though, he let out a blood curdling scream. His aggravation had reached new levels.  
  
He wouldn't search out his ex-partners, but should they ever cross his path again, he'd be sure to kill them, slowly and painfully.  
  
-----  
  
Hinata was growing tired of running. Trying to outrun those she knew were following her, she ducked into an alleyway as she ran past. Just her luck, though, the alley was a dead end.  
  
Turning around, she addressed the spirits she could only sense. "I know you're there! Get away from me, all ready!" She made a warding gesture with her hands.  
  
Duo sighed. He hadn't meant to get the girl so worked up, really.  
  
"She looks like she's gonna faint, or something," Shikamaru commented.  
  
Duo was about to respond, but a deep rumbling voice cut him off instead. "So, you sensed me, did you girl?"  
  
Hinata looked around, frantic. For that matter, so did Shikamaru and Duo.  
  
The voice laughed. "I suppose now I must reveal myself." The shadows seemed to thicken, and a shape came forth. It stood a little shorter than an average human, but was still taller than the twelve year-old girl. It appeared humanoid, but had a dull red skin, shocking blue hair, and a pair of horns. Definitely male, as he was clad only in a loincloth, and he also possessed disproportionately long arms, with fingers ending in claws instead of fingernails.  
  
Hinata was shocked, backing up into the wall behind her. Her hands felt the wall behind her, trying to find escape, but couldn't.  
  
Duo actually appeared relieved. "That thing's a weak demon. Even normal humans shouldn't have too much trouble with it, if they're good fighters."  
  
"It doesn't look like she's going to attack it, though," Shikamaru countered. "Her fighting ability is a moot point if it guts her before she moves." He clenched his fists, feeling useless.  
  
Indeed, it appeared as if the ex-Hyuga heir was too shocked and horrified to even think about attacking. Her eyes were wide, her movements wild, backing into the wall as if she were still trying to back up. And with the demon drawing closer, she began to whimper. She was a tough girl, under normal circumstances, but a Genin couldn't be expected to face down a demon, especially with no warning.  
  
"She's choking," Duo spat. "Damn it." He turned to Shikamaru. "Listen. When somebody knows you, and that person also has high spiritual awareness, you can take over their body. All you have to do is move into her body and anchor your mind to hers."  
  
"You want me to possess Hinata?" Shikamaru asked, unsure if he understood the agent of death.  
  
"Yes!" Duo replied, frantic. "Do it before she gets killed!"  
  
Shikamaru didn't waste any more time. Following Duo's instructions, the boy soon found himself blinking with new eyes. "How odd," he muttered, a soft feminine voice coming out instead of his own.  
  
The demon appeared confused. Why had his prey stopped struggling to escape?  
  
Shikamaru looked the demon in the eyes. He was a bit perturbed; his vision was messed up, showing lines of white everywhere he looked, though lines of black were centered around the demon. It must have been the Byakugan. Even without chakra running through the Hyuga eyes, his vision still portrayed the powerful lines of chakra. Demon energy as well, apparently.  
  
"This isn't your world, demon. Go back where you belong, or I'll put you there myself."  
  
The demon chuckled, though it seemed a bit forced. "Weren't you whimpering earlier, girl? Your instincts are telling you how dangerous I am, you should listen to them."  
  
Not feeling like revealing his true identity, Shikamaru replied with a simple lie. "Actually, my instincts were shouting that you're a weakling. I was just caught off guard by your looks is all." He cracked Hinata's knuckles, chuckling. "Now are you going to leave like I asked?"  
  
"Stupid girl!" the demon cried, lunging forward with one arm cocked back, claw open.  
  
Shikamaru calmly stepped to the right, his left foot lashing out in a kick that took the demon in his unguarded abdomen. As the demon buckled over, Hinata's foot lashed out again, taking the demon in the side of the head with a simple side kick.  
  
The demon crashed into a wall. As he stood again, he tried to reorient himself.  
  
Shikamaru smirked as his shadow lashed out. His shadow control wasn't a blood limit ability; rather, it was simply a technique known only to his family, though anybody could do it. He was unprepared, therefore, for his shadow to simply slide off the demon's, like its shadow had been greased. Duo said the demon had been weak, how could it be good enough to resist his attack, especially when disoriented like that?  
  
In response to his unasked question, Duo's voice came from Shikamaru's right. "Chakra's useless against them! Only spiritual energy works, and we haven't shown you how to use that yet!"  
  
"Great," Shikamaru muttered, this time not surprised by Hinata's voice speaking his words. "Guess I'll have to do this the hard way."  
  
By that time, the demon was prepared for another attack, and much more wary as well. However, it didn't save him from the beating that followed. Shikamaru proved his worth as a purely taijutsu fighter at that moment, even if he rarely, if ever, showed it before.  
  
Standing over the beaten form of the demon, the form of Hinata Hyuga dusted her hands off.  
  
"Nice work, Shika," the flippant guide laughed. "You sure showed that demon a thing or two."  
  
Shikamaru nodded absently, leaving the alley. The demon wouldn't be bothering anybody again soon, and by the time he was able to, he'd think twice about doing it in a ninja village. "I guess so." As soon as he was out of the alley, he detached his mind from Hinata's.  
  
The girl shook her head, clearing it of cobwebs. Looking around, she saw she was out of the alley. "Did I... black out?" she wondered. Shaking her head again, this time in bemusement, she decided not to bother trying to figure it out. Something struck her as she walked away, though. Laughing, she turned around a blew a kiss, before taking off.  
  
Shikamaru scratched his head. "That was odd."  
  
"Lingering effects of your possession?" Duo offered.  
  
The boy spirit shrugged. "I'd rack it up to the general weirdness that girls have."  
  
-----  
  
It was two days later that Shikamaru was hanging outside Ino's window. She was inside, getting ready to go and give the transfer. The boy wasn't peeping; she wasn't getting dressed, just brushing her hair, putting on earrings, and other stuff girls did to take up much more time than they needed.  
  
"At this rate, I might as well just die," he muttered.  
  
"Don't say that," Duo replied with a laugh. He elbowed Shikamaru in the ribs. "After all, soon your lady friend is going to give you a kiss. It's only natural she'd spend a lot of time getting ready."  
  
The boy blushed. "It's not like it means anything," he muttered.  
  
"Maybe to you," was the reply Shikamaru got.  
  
Soon enough, the duo were trailing behind Ino as she made her way to Shikamaru's house, humming a small tune to herself. It took very little time, compared to how much she had spent inside, to get to Shikamaru's house.  
  
Duo and Shikamaru passed that time with some conversation.  
  
"You'll be back amongst the living in no time now, Shika," Duo said with a grin.  
  
"Then I'll have to start working, right?" Shikamaru's tone implied he wasn't too happy with that part of the deal.  
  
"In a few days," Duo replied, his hands behind his head. "Gotta give you some rest before we send you off to face demons."  
  
Shikamaru smirked. "Unless I run into them in a dark alley, right?"  
  
When they arrived, they found both of his parents were gone, leaving the house abandoned. Ino simply let herself in.  
  
The sight that greeted her, as well as Duo and Shikamaru, shocked them to their very core.  
  
Chouji was hunched over Shikamaru's body, giving the boy a kiss on the lips.  
  
"Aaaaaaugh!" Shikamaru screamed in torment, just as his soul was sucked back into his body with a large tugging sensation.  
  
Shikamaru continued his scream as he reentered his body, making Chouji back up.  
  
"You're all right!" Chouji cried, happy to see his best friend, who had before been dead, back to his usual self.  
  
Shikamaru wanted mouthwash very badly. "Depends on your definition of 'all right,' I suppose."  
  
He was, however, glad he was back. That's why he didn't exact revenge upon Chouji ,and also why he didn't try and kill Duo, who was busy laughing his proverbial ass off.  
  
Well, maybe he'd take care of Duo. Later, though, after he got some mouthwash.  
  
-----  
  
Fighting Spirit  
  
Chapter 02  
  
End  
  
To be continued...  
  
-----  
  
Author's Notes: This thing was way too short, a bit shy of nine pages in Word with size 8 font. I usually aim for 5,000 words of story text, but this barely topped 4,700. But this is the only real place to end this chapter, so I ended it. And I'm not the kind of guy who'd add extra scenes just for word count, so I guess I'm stuck.  
  
In other news, I'm not dead, as much as that might surprise some of you. Rather, I've been busy packing up and stuff, for moving. I haven't actually made the move yet, but this time I'll see if I can't do some writing anyway, even with being busy like I am.  
  
In the next chapter, you'll get to finally see who the three mysterious evil-doers are. You did deduce that they're evil-doers, right? Because I thought that was pretty obvious.  
  
All three of the mysterious trio are from anime, though you might not recognize them all immediately. I was purposely vague, though I imagine some of you figured out the white-haired guy's identity, anyway. No, it's not Yoko Kurama....  
  
Ciao, for   
  
"This is such a hassle..." 


	3. Out of Hand

Fighting Spirit  
  
Chapter 03  
  
Out of Hand  
  
-----  
  
In his office, Koenma was looking over some papers. His father's short trip had been extended. The toddler would be stuck with his father's duties for a little over two more weeks. How cruel life was.  
  
Koenma sighed and stamped yet another paper.  
  
He was asking for it, perhaps, by wishing for anything to happen, anything at all. Nonetheless, he was still caught off guard when the events went into motion and his wish granted.  
  
A girl with blue hair suddenly burst through his office doors. "Koenma! Koenma! Horrible news!"  
  
"Calm down, Botan," Koenma said, dropping the paper he had been about to stamp onto his desk. This was obviously more important than the cafeteria menu. "What is it?"  
  
Botan took a moment to collect her wits, breathing in and breathing out a few times before relaying her message. "The three legendary artifacts, hidden in the vault, they've been stolen."  
  
Koenma jumped up onto his desk. "What?! You're joking, Botan!" Seeing her shake her head, the toddler was beside himself. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!" He paced around his desk. "What to do, what to do..." If his father found out about the missing artifacts, he'd have their heads!  
  
"Um, sir, isn't it best to remain calm?" Botan asked, relaying his own advice back to him.  
  
"Calm?!" Koenma shouted. "How can I be calm when three of the most powerful artifacts we have are gone!"  
  
"What a hypocrite," Botan muttered. She cleared her throat. "Sir, we do have some information on the thieves." It hadn't been long since the theft, but several cameras had managed to capture pictures of the thieves, which was enough to identify them.  
  
"Well?" Koenma asked, looking toward Botan. "Get on with it!"  
  
Botan cleared her throat, pulling out a manila envelope. "The first is a demon, class D, from Demon World. There's not much on her in terms of her powers or criminal records, but we do know who she is." She pulled a picture from the envelope. It showed an attractive girl, appearing in her late teens, with short black hair. "She's called Yura, and we don't have much else on her."  
  
"If she's so weak, then how did she break into that vault?" Koenma wondered to himself. "She must have strong allies. Continue, Botan."  
  
Botan nodded as she slipped the picture back into the envelope. "Of course, sir." She pulled out another photo, this time showing what appeared to be a teenage boy with long, flowing white hair, wearing a red outfit. He also seemed to sport a pair of dog ears. "I believe you're more familiar with this demon than I am. His name's Inuyasha, only rated as class C, but still managed to cause quite a ruckus on the mortal world about 50 years ago, if I remember correctly."  
  
Koenma's voice was pleading. "Don't tell me that hanyou has his sword again?"  
  
Botan nodded. "That's what he left the vault with."  
  
"This is bad, if that demon has gotten a hold of his sword again." Koenma bit his lip; things were turning really bad. Inuyasha must have been the main attacker of the group, but he was enough to take care of almost any opponent who would cross his path. "Who else?"  
  
"The last member," Botan replied, slipping the picture of Inuyasha into the envelope and pulling out a different picture. A man in his mid thirties, with short dark purple hair, dressed in red robes, was depicted on this one, though the photo was grainy and taken at an odd angle. "This man is completely unknown. No records exist on him. This photo was taken after the break in. He, apparently, made off with the Claire Bible."  
  
Koenma felt like crying, but he was too old for things like that. He'd need to call upon his new spirit detective sooner than he thought, and for a mission more difficult and serious than he could ever anticipate. He could only hope Shikamaru would be up to the task.  
  
-----  
  
It had been several days since Shikamaru's return to the living world, and his first few days had been hectic, to say the least. The first people to celebrate were, of course, his family, along with his two previous partners, Chouji and Ino. The three who had once made up Team 10 went out to celebrate, along with the boy's parents. It had been enjoyable, though a bit wild for Shikamaru's tastes.  
  
After his celebrations stopped, however, his official debriefing, held by the Hokage herself, was held. She had called him into her office and asked for the details of the mission he had been on, and details of how he came back to life. He told the truth about the mission, but Duo had warned him to keep his status of spirit detective secret, so instead he informed the Hokage that "it hadn't been his time to die."  
  
She took it at face value, though Shikamaru suspected she knew he was lying.  
  
After she gave him some advice (Don't try that jutsu again,) some personal information for him (You're on vacation for a few months,) and a few details of the current state of affairs (A lot of ninjas came back for your wake, but they're gone now,) she let the boy go.  
  
A sudden tackle, knocking Shikamaru to the ground, marked his exit from her office. Naruto was shouting something about being so happy, while the rest of the ninjas who had been on the mission snickered in the back.  
  
"Jeez, Naruto, what's gotten into you?" the boy muttered half-heartedly.  
  
"You're really alive!" Naruto got off of Shikamaru, and helped the boy up afterwards. "We all heard from Chouji, but none of us really believed him..."  
  
Shikamaru dusted off his clothes. "Yeah, I'm alive."  
  
"We can see that," Neji commented with a smirk. "Though I've no idea how."  
  
"Long story," was Shikamaru's comment, sending a glare to Chouji, saying "You'd better not tell them, either" in his eyes.  
  
The three sand siblings, too, were there, lounging behind the rest of the group. Shikamaru hadn't noticed them, so Temari broke the silence. "That was stupid of you, idiot. Using that jutsu. I arrived less than a minute later, you know."  
  
Kiba turned around, about to say something, but Shikamaru cut the boy off before he began. "I never took in the possibility of rescue." He leveled a look, not quite a glare, but stern none-the-less, at Temari. "Wouldn't you sacrifice your life, for the sake of your teammates?"  
  
Temari glanced over at her own teammates, her two brothers. Turning back to the new spirit detective, she shrugged. "For my brothers, I suppose. But not the other saps in the Hidden Sand Village."  
  
"That's a bit unfair to them, isn't it?" Chouji asked.  
  
Temari looked at the overweight boy. "Sorry if I place some importance on my life." She snorted derisively.  
  
"We didn't come here to fight," Kankuro said, trying to placate his sister.  
  
"That's right," Gaara said, and everybody turned to him. Nobody had really expected him to say much, thinking he was there only for Temari, who most of the group knew had been secretly feeling guilty. "We're here to congratulate the boy on his successful return from the Spirit World." He looked Shikamaru in the eyes.  
  
The spirit detective was taken aback. "He knows about the Spirit World?" he thought to himself. The general thought on the afterlife was that you were reborn. His own visit to the Spirit World disproved that, but he was surprised anybody else would know about it. Out loud, he let no trace of his confusion out. "Thanks, Gaara."  
  
Gaara nodded, apparently uninterested in the general state of affairs once again.  
  
"This is a time of celebration!" Rock Lee cried with his usual gusto.  
  
"Great," Shikamaru muttered. He was feeling a bit out of place, even among his peers.  
  
A voice, coming from the adjacent hallway, caught the attention of the gathered ninjas. "Hey, Shika, looks like you've got a party started." All heads turned to see a young teenager, garbed in what looked like priest's outfit, all in black, and with a brown braid hanging down his back.  
  
"Duo?" the spirit detective asked. And was it just him, or did the others see the apparition as well?  
  
Duo gave a curt nod. "Yeah. I hate to be the party crasher, but I'm gonna need you for a bit, Shika."  
  
"Who are you?" Temari snapped, barely beating off Naruto and Chouji.  
  
"Duo Maxwell," the man replied with a flourished bow. "Afraid I don't have time to chat, though." He looked at Temari and gave a wink. "Perhaps another time?"  
  
Shikamaru shook his head. "Come on," he muttered, trudging out of the room.  
  
After a final wave, Duo took off after his ward.  
  
The two left the building in silence. They didn't talk until they were down the street from the Hokage's complex.  
  
"So," Shikamaru began, "what is this about?"  
  
"Your first case," was the reply. For once, Duo's tone was completely serious. "This is a bad one, too." He snorted. "If I had any choice, you wouldn't be stuck with this."  
  
"Why?" Shikamaru asked, a sinking feeling telling him he wouldn't like the answer at all.  
  
Duo sighed, prepping himself up to explaining. "Well, the mission is simple." He looked Shikamaru in the eyes, hoping to convey the seriousness of the situation. "Three items have been stolen from a locked down vault in the Spirit World. You need to recover the items within two weeks."  
  
"Doesn't sound too tough," the spirit detective replied. "All I gotta do is track down a thief, right?"  
  
"Three thieves," Duo replied. "One for each item." Before Shikamaru could reply, Duo dove onward. "That's not all, though. Two of the thieves are a mystery to us as far as their battle capabilities go, but if they broke into the vault, they must be a lot tougher than they appear." There was more, though. "We do know of one thief's capabilities, and it's not good."  
  
The sinking feeling was back. "Why is that?"  
  
"His name is Inuyasha." Duo pulled a small photo from his pocket, handing it to the young detective.  
  
Shikamaru looked it over. A young teenager, with dog-like ears, seemed to be slashing at something with an oversized sword of some kind. "This is him?"  
  
"Yes," Duo replied, taking back the picture. "That was him fifty years ago, when he ravaged the Hidden Rain Village." Duo took in a breath and continued. "We were barely able to stop him and take the sword away from him. A majority of his power is only brought out with that sword."  
  
"If you took the sword, then he should be no problem, right?"  
  
"He stole the sword back," was the reply.  
  
Shikamaru seemed to realize what that meant. "Oh."  
  
"He's the brother of one of the four Lords of the Demon World," the black-clad man continued. "He's inherited a great deal of power."  
  
"Great," Shikamaru muttered. "Already you're sending me up against the big boys, right?"  
  
Duo gave a sympathetic grin. "Like I said, I'd rather you not have to do this." He sighed. "One of the thieves, a female demon known as Yura, is supposed to be somewhere in this village. You should track her down and take back the Nanban Mirror she stole."  
  
"What do you know about her, for me to use?" Shikamaru replied.  
  
"Nothing, except her name." Duo looked a bit perturbed. "Well, we also know that she's the one who probably has the Nanban Mirror, as I said. The mirror allows instantaneous teleportation anywhere, provided she sheds a tear into it."  
  
"Teleportation?"  
  
"Yes," Duo replied. "She'll likely use it to steal more artifacts, after setting up a base of operations here." He sighed. "Sorry if things are getting out of hand, but we need you to take care of this."  
  
Shikamaru shook his head. "I understand."  
  
Duo looked over Shikamaru. "I don't know how this demon fights, but she's not going to be a pushover like the one you fought back in the alley. Your fighting skills alone won't be enough."  
  
"But I can't use my chakra," Shikamaru pointed out. "What else can I use?"  
  
Duo actually smiled a real grin, for the first time since the conversation began. "Spirit energy."  
  
"Isn't that the same thing?" Shikamaru replied flatly.  
  
"Not quite," was the answer he received. Duo tried his best to explain. "Chakra is basically the body's energy, right?" After Shikamaru's nod, the agent of death continued. "Well, spirit energy is the energy of the mind. It's basically referred to as psychic powers in the mortal world."  
  
"You're saying I have to be a psychic to beat this chick?" Shikamaru didn't look very pleased with that. "Look, I don't know where you got the idea I was a psychic, but I'm not."  
  
Duo sighed. "Look, you wouldn't be a spirit detective if you couldn't use spirit energy. You should've been able to feel it when you were dead, because at that point you'd have no chakra, which stayed in your body."  
  
Shikamaru slowly nodded. He had felt the energy he had, and it did feel slightly different than chakra. "But I can't sense it now," he muttered.  
  
"That's because it's weak," Duo replied, "and untrained. You can't feel it through your chakra. But all you have to do is concentrate on the feeling you got from the spirit energy, and you'll be able to draw it."  
  
Nodding slowly, Shikamaru tried to grasp the feeling he had felt. It took several tries, but eventually he felt the spiritual energy, just as when he was a ghost. "I got it," he mentioned, shocked at himself for drawing psychic power.  
  
"Now Koenma said you'd be ready for this move," Duo mentioned. "Focus the spirit energy into your palm, Shika."  
  
Not bothering to comment on Duo's usage of his dreaded nickname, Shikamaru simply followed instructions. Just like when using his chakra, he focused the power in his hands. Unlike his chakra, however, this produced visible results as his right hand began to glow a soft blue.  
  
"Now just release it," Duo instructed. "It's a burst of energy, just let it fly."  
  
Raising his hand, Shikamaru pointed it toward a nearby trashcan. Letting loose the energy, like Duo had instructed, a burst of energy flew forth. Shikamaru had expected it to knock away the garbage can, but he still caught off guard by how far the thing flew before rolling to a halt.  
  
Duo grinned. "See? Now that wasn't so hard. It's called Spirit Burst, and it's the basic move in a spirit detective's arsenal." He wagged a finger at Shikamaru. "At your level, you can only do it two times a day, give or take. So don't be trying to use it unless you know it'll be of use, okay?"  
  
Shikamaru sighed. "And you just made me waste one use, eh?"  
  
"Had no choice," Duo replied, "had to teach you the ropes." The man straightened up. "Well, now that that's over with, I have to go; I'm trying to pinpoint where the other two thieves are. I'll come back for you when I find something else out."  
  
"Got it."  
  
Duo was about to walk off when he remembered something. "Oh, yeah. We do have a picture of her." He tossed Shikamaru another picture, which the boy caught. "Try not to let on too much when looking for her, okay?"  
  
-----  
  
Shikamaru was grumbling to himself as he searched. That Duo would've walked off and left him with no clue to what the girl looked like if he hadn't remembered at the last second.  
  
Not that it helped him anyway. He'd been searching through the ninja village's business district for the whole day and wasn't any closer then when he began. He plopped down on a park bench, idly blowing a strand of hair out of his face that had fallen from its usual place.  
  
The boy never really realized just how large the ninja village was. If he ever found the demon, it'd be by pure luck, and no skill of his whatsoever.  
  
Just as he was about to give it up and call it a day, something caught Shikamaru's eye. Turning his head to the side, he saw a black tendril snake into a nearby warehouse. "Suspicious," the Chuunin muttered. He figured he might as well check it out.  
  
Being a ninja, Shikamaru knew better than to try and sneak in through the front door.  
  
The back door was much better.  
  
Opening the door and sliding inside, he closed it quietly behind him. What he saw surprised him, as it certainly wasn't normal.  
  
The black tendrils were revealed as hair. The entire room was filled with the stuff, crammed into a small space near the back wall. It piled until it reached nearly the roof, which was almost forty feet high, and took the entire back wall However, the area away from the wall was perfectly clear of the hair, only having large crates left from whatever business used the warehouse for storage. And resting on the hair, as if it were a giant throne, was Yura, the demon he was after.  
  
It made perfect sense, factoring in what he heard from Duo. She was likely going to use this warehouse as a base of operations for her thievery, and was keeping the area clear of the hair, as it would interfere with her space for the stolen goods.  
  
Of course, that didn't explain exactly why she had enough hair to give transplants to every bald man in the country.  
  
The spirit detective looked over to Yura to see what she was doing. She was running a red comb through her hair and appeared quite oblivious to her surroundings. That could work well in his favor.  
  
With the stealth borne of endless training by Asuma and his own father, Shikamaru crept towards Yura along the tops of several tall stacks of crates. It gave him less room to maneuver, but a better chance of not being seen. He wouldn't have even attempted it if the demon didn't appear totally distracted.  
  
"The mirror has to be kept nearby," the young Chuunin thought to himself. It obviously wasn't on her person; her outfit didn't have room to hide the mirror. "Now, if I were a magical mirror, where would I be...?"  
  
How he desperately wished he could just be watching the clouds right now. But he had a mission to accomplish, and he would make sure it got done.  
  
Then he could go watch the sky.  
  
Silently dropping onto the floor near the back wall, Shikamaru then crept closer to the large pile of hair. The boy cringed when he noticed that several skulls were mixed in with the hair. It was grotesque.  
  
That's when something unexpected happened.  
  
As soon as he touched the hair, it started moving en masse. "What the-?" he began, startled.  
  
"Did you think you could lay a finger on my hair without my noticing?"  
  
Shikamaru, filled with dread, turned and looked over. Yura was atop a mass of hair which was jutting out from the pile. She was sending a glare his way, which made the ninja cringe.  
  
"You stupid mortals are all the same," she said.  
  
The entire pile of hair began to move, making the ninja back away.  
  
"I suppose I'll just have to kill you." She looked Shikamaru over. "I could add your hair to my collection, I suppose. It'll need some treatment though. You take horrible care of it."  
  
"That's sick," the Chuunin replied, cringing at the thought of her scalping him. Was that how she got all that hair? He paused a moment. "And I think I take pretty good care of my hair."  
  
Not feeling the need to prolong the ninja's life any further, Yura casually waved her hand. The hair near Shikamaru shot towards the boy, intent of grabbing or perhaps simply hitting the boy.  
  
He didn't want to find out which, though.  
  
Shooting to the side and avoiding the hair, the spirit detective ran through his options. He only had one shot of his Spirit Burst left, so he'd have to make it count. His best option, for now, was to test the waters and determine what was effective against the demon.  
  
He ruled out his shadow techniques immediately. If it hadn't worked on that weakling demon that attacked Hinata, it surely wouldn't work on this one. All he had to rely on was his taijutsu.  
  
"Here goes," the boy muttered.  
  
Yura had a surprised look, but quickly shook it off. She sent out another wave of hair to attack, this time with many clumps attacking all at once.  
  
The spirit detective twisted between the blows while advancing, moving with the minimum amount of movement needed to avoid the strikes. Just when the demon got aggravated, forcing all of the hair to converge on his position, he leapt high, sailing over the hair and straight toward the demon.  
  
Yura shouted in surprise, holding her arms in front of her face to protect herself. It was an automatic gesture by most non-fighters, which Shikamaru easily capitalized upon. Two quick blows to her stomach sent the demon flying back, landing with a thump on the hard floor, away from her hoard of hair.  
  
Shikamaru was standing without a fighting stance, but was regarding the room wearily, taking special care to keep both the hair and the demon in his line of sight. He was slightly surprised when the demon simply stood up, completely disregarding the blows.  
  
"It takes more than simple blows without the faintest hint of spirit energy, I'm afraid," she commented. She raised her hand toward her attacker. "But for laying a hand on me, I still sentence you to death."  
  
In his head, Shikamaru took apart her words. "Lacking spirit energy? Does that mean that I'll be able to injure her if I add spirit energy into my punches and kicks?" It would make sense, he supposed.  
  
But he didn't have more time to think. He dodged to the left, the right, then leapt backwards, all to avoid the tendrils of hair trying to end his life. Spying a particularly large tendril, a quick plan formed in his mind. As it shot towards him, he leapt upwards to meet it. In midair, his feet touched the large amount of hair only to immediately spring off, heading straight for Yura.  
  
Once again the demon was caught flat-footed, getting punched right in the jaw with all that momentum behind it, plus a good amount of spirit energy. A loud crack from her neck was heard, but Shikamaru didn't stop there. As she fell back, before getting very far, Shikamaru kicked her in the stomach, sending her to the left instead of backwards, and also coincidentally further away from her hair.  
  
As she tumbled along the ground, Shikamaru leapt backwards. In his current position, between Yura and her hair, he couldn't keep an eye on both, so he needed a more advantageous position.  
  
The hair demon stood. Taking her head between both of her hands, she gave it a swift jerk which sent off another loud cracking sound, this time her neck getting back into its proper position. Just as before she didn't appear affected. "Are you truly this dumb?" she asked. She fingered her red comb, where several strands of hair were connected to control the rest. "You can't hurt me, even if you do know how to work with spirit energy." Truth was, she hadn't expected that. But in the end it didn't matter.  
  
Several warning signals went off in Shikamaru's head. Nobody could survive having their neck broken, and he had even used spirit energy behind that punch. Something was seriously wrong. She must've had some sort of special defense.  
  
Once again he was cut off in mid-thought as hair came at him once more. Thinking quickly, he leapt backwards, then to the left. This put a large crate between himself and Yura. She couldn't order her hair to where she couldn't see.  
  
"You think that'll save you?" Yura taunted. Her hair writhed in front of the crate. "You're sadly mistaken, I'm afraid." In her head, she decided to give the boy a bit of time to ponder his eminent demise.  
  
Shikamaru was sweating...  
  
"I'm afraid that... now you die." With an amazing display of power, a tendril of Yura's precious hair was able to pick up and toss the huge crate to the side, where it impacted with a wall of the warehouse. As soon as the crate was clear, she was easily able to see Shikamaru, along with the ball of spirit energy gathered in his hand.  
  
The spirit detective threw his hand forward. "Spirit Burst!"  
  
Yura realized that she was standing between Shikamaru and her pile of hair. Without another thought, she quickly spread her arms, allowing it to hit her full-force. The blast propelled her forward and to the left, where she hit a large crate instead of her hair, which exploded in a display of the force used against it.  
  
Wood chips rained all over the interior of the warehouse. Shikamaru held his position, right hand still extended, waiting for the debris to clear so he could get a view of his defeated opponent.  
  
Instead of that, however, the Chuunin was treated to the image of Yura, standing without a single scratch, when the debris cleared.  
  
"Foolish little brat," the woman said. She casually brushed off her outfit, getting the wood chips off of the contrasting black material.  
  
Shikamaru was in a bind. He was without any more spiritual blasts. He had to beat her with taijutsu, now. Running wasn't even an option, not from a demon of her power. Besides, she'd spot him going for a door a block off his escape with her hair, so it wouldn't be productive to even try.  
  
Two tendrils shot out at the boy. Mentally figuring where they'd hit, Shikamaru shifted his weight onto his right foot and cross-stepped with his left, allowing the tendrils to miss him. However the hair then whipped to toward the boy, wrapping him in the black threads. He quickly tried to escape, but found the hair too strong. It was obviously more than normal hair...  
  
"Such a foolish young boy," Yura drawled. She waved her hand and the hair began to constrict, making it harder for Shikamaru to breathe. "You knew what to look for, didn't you? You're obviously one of King Yama's lackeys. A new spirit detective, perhaps?"  
  
Shikamaru found it hard to respond, what with the tendril of hair trying to crush the life out of him.  
  
Things had been heading steadily downhill since he started fighting the demon, but it was surprising how easily he lost when he made even a single mistake.  
  
Yura was smiling as the hair on Shikamaru began to shift, moving from grasping him around the waist to holding him by his four limbs and neck, stretching his body out.  
  
"What are you going to do now?" he asked, gasping for the breath he had lost. He watched at the demon as she walked, not toward him, but toward her original position at the mound of hair.  
  
She reached out and, from the mound, a wakizashi was pulled. "Now... I think I'll be content with slicing your body to pieces. You put up a pretty good show." Her eyes narrowed. With a huge leap, she shot toward the immobile ninja. "But now it ends!"  
  
And it did.  
  
Yura's eyes widened as the tendrils slackened around Shikamaru. She slumped in the middle of her leap, landing with a thud in front of Shikamaru.  
  
The boy quickly escaped from the hair. He looked over as Yura slowly rose to her to her knees, blood beginning to seep from her mouth.  
  
"H-How?" she croaked, gurgling a bit of blood as she did so.  
  
Shikamaru didn't comment. Instead, he past the demon to the pile of hair. Reaching out, he took a kunai from the pile, where it had pierced a red skull. "This is mine, I believe." He turned back to Yura just in time to see her body fade into dust.  
  
He had known that she must have had some weakness. However, he assumed it was a part of her body. His bit with the Spirit Burst was, in fact, to see where her weakness was on her body. If she had one, she'd take care to protect that part. But instead she spread her arms, which was generally used by somebody using their body as a shield. That meant she was protecting something behind her.  
  
The red skull had been where she was sitting. Also, coincidentally, right where his Spirit Burst would have hit had she dodged.  
  
When he realized all of that, it was only a matter of placing a small amount of spirit energy into a kunai and waiting for the opportune moment. He had the kunai in his hand, hidden within the hair covering his wrist, the entire time. He just needed to hold it until Yura committed herself to an attack and wouldn't be able to block the projectile.  
  
Like most of his plans, it worked perfectly.  
  
"I suppose I'd best find that mirror, now," the boy muttered to himself. He paused in thought. If Yura kept her precious skull in the hair, it'd make sense for the mirror to be there as well. He looked over at the pile. Even with the hair on the floor from what Yura had used to attack, the mound was still reaching the ceiling.  
  
"...This could take a while."  
  
-----  
  
It was approaching eleven at night when Shikamaru finally trudged into his house. A weak, "I'm here," and a shuffling as he took off his shoes at the entrance were the only sounds from inside the house, marking Shikamaru's entrance.  
  
It wasn't that curious for it to be quiet; it was awfully late at night. Though, from what he'd come to expect from his parents, he wouldn't have been surprised if they waiting for him, either.  
  
Silently, the Chuunin made his way through the living room and into his kitchen for a drink of water. It had been a long day, and he needed it. Maybe some food, too. Nothing complicated. A TV dinner sounded about right.  
  
As he entered the kitchen, however, he noticed that something was amiss. Most noticeably was the fact that the light was on and two people were waiting for him at the kitchen table.  
  
They weren't his parents, either.  
  
"Took you long enough," the blond girl remarked. "Where the hell were you? I thought you didn't have any missions."  
  
It wasn't Ino, his friend from Team 10.  
  
No, it was Temari, the ninja girl from the Hidden Village of the Sand.  
  
She was sitting along a long side of the rectangular table, leaning on her elbows. Her giant fan was propped against the wall, near enough for her to reach and smack Shikamaru with if she was so inclined.  
  
The boy made a mental note not to get on her bad side.  
  
Across the table from his sister was the youngest of the Sand trio, Gaara. The demonic vassal was sitting with a large glass of water in front of him and his gourd to his side, leaning against the wall just as Temari's fan was.  
  
The first thing that came to Shikamaru's mind was "Why the hell are you two here?" But, being more tactful than that (plus Temari would give him hell, and she was scary,) he decided on another question. "Where's Kankuro?"  
  
"In our house," Gaara answered.  
  
"What the hell?" Temari complained, giving the lazy ninja a glare. "Not a 'Hello?' or 'How are you doing?' Just how rude are you?" She gave him a look, one that promised pain and torture. At least, it looked that way to Shikamaru.  
  
The boy chuckled. "Erm, hello? How are you doing?"  
  
The girl sighed. "We're doing fine, thanks for asking." The tone was mildly sarcastic, but Shikamaru ignored that. "Your mother left you some leftovers in the microwave. She says you know how to heat 'em yourself."  
  
The spirit detective nodded. Walking over to the microwave, he popped it open. Mashed potatoes and turkey, it seemed. Pressing a few buttons, he closed the door to the microwave and allowed it to run.  
  
"So where were you, if not on a mission?" Gaara asked suddenly.  
  
Shikamaru had been standing in silence a few moments, but he could see conversation was unavoidable. "I was looking for something," he replied lazily, as if he had any other way. It was the truth, too, but worded as if to make it sound like he was shopping.  
  
"You got a mirror?" Temari asked. She could spot the handle on the handheld Nanban Mirror sticking out of Shikamaru's kunai pouch.  
  
"Eh?" the boy replied. The bell on the microwave dinged, so he opened the door. "Yeah," he said simply as he took out the plate. Grabbing a fork, he began to make his way over to the table when he realized his dilemma.  
  
There were only four chairs. Two were taken. One of the empty chairs was next to Temari. The other was next to Gaara. They were both scary... but it looked like he'd just have to take a seat next to the less scary one.  
  
Placing his plate on the table and taking a seat next to Gaara, Shikamaru nodded to himself. Some might consider the sand user to be the most scary, but they also hadn't dealt with Temari like he had.  
  
Gaara was the first to speak. "So, at what point in your trip did you get into a fight?"  
  
Shikamaru almost choked on his turkey. Swallowing hastily, he managed to croak out a "What?"  
  
Temari was also raising an eyebrow, looking at her brother.  
  
"Your wrists and neck have marks," Gaara explained. He almost smirked when the Chuunin attempted vainly to cover up said marks.  
  
Temari gasped, looking over at Shikamaru. "What?!" she screeched, reminding the boy of Ino for a moment. "What the hell were you doing, Shikamaru?!"  
  
The spirit detective sighed wearily, pushing away his plate. "It was just a scuffle. Nothing big." He hoped, desperately, that Temari and Gaara wouldn't insist on knowing more.  
  
Gaara, again, proved to be more knowledgeable than he let on. "It was with a demon, wasn't it?" Noticing Shikamaru's widening eyes, he continued. "I can sense the linger demon energy on you."  
  
Temari reached for her fan, causing Shikamaru to frown. However, she made no move to use it. "Just what the hell is going on?" she asked, looking at Shikamaru with annoyance and possibly... worry?  
  
Shaking his head to clear it of thoughts, Shikamaru answered. "Look, you remember that Duo guy who came for me earlier?" Seeing the two Sand ninjas nod, he continued. "Well, the truth is he works for the big guy up there in Spirit World..."  
  
A trite, but concise, explanation of the events following his death were told.  
  
Gaara listened, giving his undivided attention and also showing nothing as the story was told.  
  
Temari, however, showed disbelief the entire time. Or maybe it was shock, Shikamaru couldn't tell.  
  
"...And that's what happened," he finished. The lazy ninja had taken extra care not to mention Chouji's role in his revival, but everything else was correct. He gave the two siblings a moment to collect their thoughts.  
  
The younger of the siblings nodded. "That would explain everything, then." He had felt Shikamaru's spirit, then. He had known something was there, but hadn't been sure.  
  
"You... were there?" Temari asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Jackass," was her reply.  
  
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.  
  
"At any rate," the girl continued, obviously trying to change the subject, "we are here for a reason."  
  
Shikamaru was smiling as he replied. "And here I thought you just enjoyed my company."  
  
A quick glare shut him up to allow Temari to continue. "Gaara, Kankuro, and I will be staying here with the Hidden Leaf."  
  
A simple question found its way to Shikamaru's lips. "Why?"  
  
Temari shrugged her shoulders. "What Baki said is that the Leaf ninjas were in need of some support, and this would be a good show of our cooperation."  
  
The spirit detective sighed. "And you needed to tell me this badly enough that you waited in my house until," he checked the clock, "eleven fifty-three?"  
  
The blond girl had a scowl. "I was going to tell you earlier, but that Duo guy dragged you off. It's his fault we're stuck here this late."  
  
"You could've just gone home, you know," Shikamaru countered. "Kankuro did, after all."  
  
Gaara was the one who replied. "When we arrived and there was no sign of you, she grew concerned."  
  
"Concerned?"  
  
Temari scowled. "Nothing like that, you idiot." Her features softened. "But you're the only guy who's beaten me in real match, except Gaara. I haven't been able to prove to you just how much of a better fighter I am, yet. It'd be a shame for you to keel over before we get to have another match."  
  
"I'm touched by your concern," Shikamaru sighed.  
  
Gaara stood, taking his gourd as he did so and slinging it over his shoulder. "I'm afraid it's growing quite late. Temari, we can come visit another time."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Temari muttered, unknowingly imitating one of Shikamaru's phrases.  
  
"Another time," the spirit detective said with a wave of his hand.  
  
A look of concern flashed across Temari's face as she took her fan. "Hey, Shikamaru... be careful out there, will ya?"  
  
The boy smiled. "Trust me, I've already died once. I don't plan on repeating the experience."  
  
Satisfied with the answer, the duo left Shikamaru alone.  
  
The boy sighed. Since when was his life the chaotic one? He would prefer to have remained unnoticed...  
  
Too bad that wasn't in his cards.  
  
-----  
  
Fighting Spirit  
  
Chapter 03  
  
End  
  
To be continued...  
  
-----  
  
Author's Notes: 6,300 words this chapter. Not bad, not bad.  
  
Eh? What do you mean, you thought I was dead? Shame on you for having such lack of faith! It's just.... ugh. College is hell.  
  
Yeah, enough complaining. About this chapter... I dunno if I did the fight scene well enough. Eh, I suppose it works for this fight, as it's nothing major. Now, Inuyasha... that'll be a fight. Next chapter, wait for it.  
  
As you can probably tell, this fic's not strictly Shikamaru/Ino... in typical anime fashion, he shall have several females vying for his heart. Temari being one of them, yes. Ino being another. But this won't be like Yu Yu Hakusho, where he has Keiko and that's it.  
  
Also, it looks like Shikamaru's pretty bad at keeping his job a secret. Ha! I wonder where this is gonna get him...  
  
There's a lot of differences between this and Yu Yu Hakusho... while there might be a lot of parallels between Shikamaru's life and Yusuke's, there are also a lot of differences. That's what this fic hinges on, you know...  
  
Well, that and the fight scenes. C'mon, Shikamaru, kick Inuyasha's butt!  
  
Well, that's enough for now.  
  
"Such a hassle..." 


End file.
